Media reactions to Boris Nemtsov's murder

Brazilian striker Neymar to sign with Barcelona

Brazilian player Neymar has made his choice: he will transfer to Barcelona rather than Real Madrid. The gifted striker said he will sign a five-year contract with the Spanish champions on Monday, after being given the choice of both clubs.

Barcelona said Neymar “stands out for his polished skills, he makes a difference and scores goals. ... He has received many accolades and the praise of the celebrated Pele, of whom he is considered his heir”.
Messi-Neymar link

The reigning South American Player of the Year will link up at Barcelona with Argentine ace Lionel Messi, four times FIFA World Player of the Year.

The pair faced each other when Barcelona beat Santos 4-0 in the Club World Cup final in December 2011.

Barcelona are looking to revamp their stellar squad after what by their high standards is a slump during which they have been eliminated from the European Champions League at the semi-final stage for the last two seasons.

Lining up Messi and Neymar together will likely keep the Barcelona standard at least as high as in their Champions League and Club World Cup winning seasons, a benchmark arch-rivals Real Madrid could struggle to match.

Neymar has been a target of top European sides for at least three years, including Chelsea in 2010, but Santos managed to reject all offers and improve his deal with sponsorships.

The ready smiling Neymar became a celebrity, had a part in a television soap opera and admirers imitated his Mohican style haircut.

However, since the middle of last year a move had become increasingly difficult for Neymar to resist while Santos lost the form that took them to their third South American Libertadores Cup title in 2011 and first since Pele’s 1960s heyday.

“After rejecting a series of million-dollar offers for Neymar Jr, since the middle of 2010... against the trend in Brazilian football of selling its best talents quickly, Santos FC finally agreed on negotiations,” Santos said.

“Santos FC is freeing Neymar Jr, knowing they made all the efforts to keep him in Brazil for as long as possible, even offering to renew his present contract ending in July 2014.

“Given the confidentiality of the contract, by mutual agreement, the bases of the negotiation will not be divulged by the parties.”